On a Friday in May, the Patriots got in on the improbable EIU-to-NFL connection. Second-round pick Jimmy Garoppolo is getting an early indoctrination into life as a professional, life as a Patriot.

His head may be spinning, but so are the spirals.

"I mean, it's a process, that's for sure," Garoppolo said after Tuesday's first day of mandatory minicamp. "It's one of those things you've got to take day by day.

"Each day is different," he added. "You have to be consistently good not occasionally great."

With top-notch coach-speak like that, it is no wonder that Eastern Illinois has produced the likes of Shanahan and Payton, as well as former Vikings boss Brad Childress.

The Patriots' highest-drafted QB since No. 1 pick Drew Bledsoe 21 years ago, Garoppolo is learning quickly that he is a long way from the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Div. 1-AA). The jump to an NFL camp is a leap in class for any rookie. This is something else entirely for a rookie quarterback, even if he is coming off a college career in which he threw a school- and conference-record 118 touchdown passes, including 53 in 2013 on his way to the Walter Payton Award as the best player in the FCS.

"Oh, man. I don't even know if you can compare the two — it's night and day," he said. "But we come out here, it's gorgeous out there today, had a great day of practice and what else would you rather be doing?"

Garoppolo is far from the first quarterback taken since Tom Brady's ascendance from a guy winning parking spots to a guy winning life in general. He's actually the seventh QB taken in the draft since Brady's been the starter, a trail of signal-callers that started with Rohan Davey (fourth round, 2002) and came to Ryan Mallett (third round, 2011) before getting to the pride of Arlington Heights, Ill.

Mallett, who missed Thursday's OTA session that was open to the media, took limited reps at Tuesday's practice.

So on Tuesday, nearly any repetition that wasn't Brady's was Garoppolo's. He had his chance to work with a unit of undrafted rookie free-agent wideouts such as Wilson Van Hooser, Jeremy Johnson, and Reese Wiggins. One throw in particular, a perfectly tossed deep ball to the SMU product Johnson down the right sideline, stood out.

"It was a good read," Garoppolo said. "It was just one of those things, you see the safeties rotate. You get your eyes in the right place. You have to have efficient eyes. I did that on that play."

Page 2 of 2 - Second-year wide receiver Josh Boyce, who coincidentally worked out with Garoppolo in California prior to the draft, likes what he's seen from the rookie so far.

"He's a great guy, he learns [well]," Boyce said Tuesday. "He's a great kid."

If recent history is any indication, Garappolo should enjoy making his big throws in practice, because live game action is a rarity for Brady's backups. In his three years with the Patriots, two as the primary backup, Mallett is 1-for-4 (all in 2012). Between 2009 and 2011, backup Brian Hoyer got into 13 games, going a combined 27-for-43 for 286 yards and a TD, all when games were well out of reach.

Then again, 2005 seventh-round pick Matt Cassel got nearly a whole season to prove his worth in 2008, and he led the Patriots to an 11-5 mark, earning himself a trade and a healthy contract with the Chiefs in the process.

Despite being a second-round pick in a league in which a second-round QB (Russell Wilson) just won the Super Bowl in his second season, any succession plan is far from the 6-foot-2, 22-year-old signal-caller's mind.

"It's just one of those things you can't really focus on," Garappolo said. "If you focus on that, you're focusing on the wrong thing. My main focus is coming out here and being very consistent day in and day out. It's a grind. You have to come out here and do good each and every day."

In the OVC, Garoppolo was Brady and Peyton Manning rolled into one. Now, it's a constant game of follow the leader.

"Tom does a great job of going out there and guys look to him as a coach on the field," Garoppolo said. "That's what you want in a quarterback. Watching and learning what he does, not so much what he tells me, but watching his mannerisms I've learned a lot."

June is often synonymous with students getting out for summer. Not for Garoppolo. His schooling is just beginning.

At around 1:30 p.m., Garoppolo was asked about the rest of his afternoon.

"It's not even close to being over," he said with a smile.

We've only just begun.

Tim Whelan Jr. can be reached at 508-626-4402 or twhelan@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @thattimwhelan.